The Agamemnon of Aeschylus |
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ÆGISTHUS Agamemnon altar ancient ANTISTROPHE Apollo Apollonius Rhodius Argive Athens Atreus beacon bear beautiful Blomfield blood Calchas CASSANDRA CHORUS CLYTEMNESTRA dark dead death deed Deianira e'en edition epithet Eschylus Euripides expression eyes fate fire gainst Geryon Gods Greek ground heard heart Helen HERALD Hesychius horrid horror hypallage Jove king language lord Lycophron meaning Menelaus metaphor mighty mourning murder ne'er o'er original Pæan palace passage Pausanias Peitho play poet Potter prophetess queen rage reading rendered sacrifice Schutz SEMICHORUS sense soft song Sophocles soul Spanish Curate speak stands Stob Suidas sweet thee thou hast Thyestes tidings tongue towers tragedians translation Troy Twas unto whilst woman word wretched young ἄν γὰρ δὲ Εἰ εἰς ἐν ἐπὶ καὶ μὲν οἱ οὐ πρὸς τὰ τὴν τὸ τοῖς τὸν τοῦ τῷ τῶν
Popular passages
Page xxiv - But Clytemnestra would have been improperly portrayed as a weak woman seduced from her duty ; she appeared with the features of that heroic age, so rich in bloody catastrophes, in which all the passions were violent, and in which, both in good and evil, men exceeded the ordinary standard of later and more puny ages. What is so revolting, what affords such a deep proof of the degeneracy of human nature, as the spectacle of horrid...
Page 3 - Atreus' palace, from whose height I gaze O'er-watched and weary, like a night-dog still Fixed to my post : meanwhile the rolling year Moves on, and I my wakeful vigils keep By the cold starlight sheen of spangled skies.
Page 123 - My own death-knell, myself my death-knell ring ! The sun rides high, but soon will set for me ; O sun ! I pray to thee by thy last light, And unto those who will me honour do, Upon my hateful murderers wreak the blood Of the poor slave they murder in her chains, A helpless, easy, unresisting victim ! O mortal, mortal state ! and what art thou ? E'en in thy glory comes the changing shade, And makes thee like a vision glide away...
Page xxiv - She also sees the death which is preparing for her lord; and, though shuddering at the reek of death, as if seized with madness, she rushes into the house to meet her own inevitable doom, while from behind the scene we hear the groans of the dying Agamemnon.
Page xxii - ... the drama of the conquered and plundered city consigned as a prey to the flames, the joy of the victors, and the glory of their leader. He displays with reluctance, as if unwilling to shade the brilliancy of his...
Page 67 - E'en so to Paris' bed the lovely Helen came. But dark Erinnys, in the nuptial hour, Rose in the midst of all that bridal pomp, Seated midst the feasting throng, Amidst the revelry and song ; Erinnys, led by Xenius Jove, Into the halls of Priam's sons, Erinnys of the mournful bower, Where youthful brides weep sad in midnight hour.
Page 22 - Mailed chiefs, whose bosoms burn For battle, heard in silence stern Cries that call'da father's name, And set at naught pray'rs, cries, and tears, And her sweet virgin life and blooming years. Now when the solemn prayer was said, The father gave the dire command To the priestly band, Men with strong hands and ruthless force, To lift from earth that maiden fair, Where she had sunk in dumb despair, And lay with robes all cover'd round...
Page 30 - Asopus" plain ; And up the steep, soft rising like the moon, Stood spangling bright upon Cithsaron's hill. There rose, to give it conduct on the road, Another meeting fire ; nor did the watch Sleep at the coming of the stranger light, But burnt a greater blaze than those before ; Thence o'er the lake Gorgopis stoop'd the light, And to the mount of ^Egiplancton came, And bade the watch shine forth, nor scant the blaze.
Page 134 - And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge, With Ate by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war; That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial.
Page xxv - Iphigenia has this particular advantage, that it keeps within some bounds our discontent at the fall of Agamemnon. He cannot be pronounced wholly innocent ; an earlier crime recoils on his own head ; and besides, according to the religious idea of the ancients, an old curse hung over his house : ./Egisthus, the contriver of his destruction, is a son of that very Thyestes on whom his father Atreus took such an unnatural revenge ; and this fatal connexion is conveyed to our minds in the most vivid...